An effective program with bipartisan support

posted by Roger Senserrich | 80sc
February 04, 2014

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If you are looking for some effective policy proposals to help low income families thathappen to have broad bipartisan support, Washington has not been the best place to look of late. After the SNAP cuts approved last week in the House, it is hard to believe there is much interest in helping low income families in the short term.

There is one policy that it is both very effective and that has been receiving plaudits from both sides of the aisle of late, however: the Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has a great article about the EITC, a policy that both works and has some Republican Senators arguing that it need to be expanded. The data certainly shows its effectiveness:

Next to Social Security, the EITC combined with the refundable portion of the Child Tax Credit constitutes the nation’s most powerful anti-poverty program. These two credits lifted 10.1 million people out of poverty in 2012, including 5.3 million children (see chart). As AEI’s Michael Strain points out, the EITC “is a very effective anti-poverty tool because it supplements earnings and incentivizes employment. Expansions of the EITC have been very successful at encouraging work, particularly among single mothers during the 1990s.”

We were very vocal, in fact, arguing for a state EITC. The state tax credit was cut last year due to the tough budget situation from 30 to 25% of the federal refund. Governor Malloy has promised restoring the state EITC to 27.5% this budget year (and to 30% in 2015), and CAHS will work to ensure this program is restored.

CAHS, through our very successful VITA program, has also worked for years to make the help families get access to the program. You can learn more about our VITA program here - and get information on all sites in the state by calling 211.